US 50 -- Illinois

Copyright 2002 W. Berg Press

Welcome to IllinoisThe Land of Lincoln
The capital is Springfield.
State motto is: State Sovereignty, National Union.

Nine miles into Illinois on US 50 we find
Red Hills State Park, a large,
beautiful park with camp sites and picnic places scattered throughout. The park is
heavily wooded and on a lake where I see a lot of fishermen trying their luck.
The
trees are green and it is warm enough for a picnic. We select a quiet site for lunch.
Later, we take a short walk through the woods to the lake. Then it is time to pack up
again and continue our journey.

Olney, Illinois, claims that one can see white squirrels in their city
park. These pink-eyed, bushy tailed creatures have been members of the community for a
long time.

In Odin, Illinois, on US 50 we find the Lincoln Trail Antique Shop.
If you are looking for antiques, vintage wedding
invitations, old lamps or just that special item, you will find it here.

Now stop and chat with Sandra Soper. She is a friendly, delightful person and can tell you all
about antiques. My wife is so gracious and agrees to the purchase of a two-foot
wrought iron candle holder for our wall at home.

At the antique shop, we meet Lou Campbell. He is a character out of the
West. I dont know if I can believe him, but he claims that he runs antiques from
Illinois to Virginia. If you have seen him, please let us know.

Ten miles east of Salem we pass
through a little town named Iuka. The pictures "Halfway
Tavern"claims that Abe Lincoln stopped here as many other travels
did.

In early 1800s stagecoach passengers reached in
Salem, Illinois, "Gateway
of Little Egypt" the half-way point between St.
Louis and Vincennes. Oil was discovered in 1930s and transformed this small
town. Today it is a prosperous city with a rich heritage. You may
want to visit the Lemen-Frakes
House at 321 South Franklin Ave. Built in
1842, it is the oldest home in Salem.

Carlyle Lake
is Illinois largest lake. We stop to see if space is available to stay
overnight. Camping facilities at the West Dam are better than other facilities around the
lake. Sorry to say, West Dam is occupied, so we decide to continue down US 50. We
forgot that today is Saturday. Most campgrounds are occupied on weekends, but are vacant
during the week.

We stop in Breese at the Knotty Pine Inn.
It is very clean and the price is very reasonable. The Knotty Pine
also operates a restaurant which is patronized by local townspeople. We can confirm the
food tastes good, prices are very reasonable and the place is clean. Their motto is to
serve excellent food.

We follow the old US 50 towards St. Louis. As we enter East St. Louis,
we see the Gateway Arch in the distance. It is
called the Gateway to the West. Many people here
consider that once you have crossed the Mississippi, you are in the Westeven if this
is not the area of the Continental Divide or the half-way mark of the United States.

From the distance we admire the engineering wonder that rises 630 feet
into the air. The Arch is higher than the skyscrapers of St. Louis. We bypass St. Louis on
our north and now come to the point where US 50 crosses the Mississippi River into
Missouri.